Locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet

ABSTRACT

A locking mechanism for use in a mechanized filing cabinet having a position adjustable posting board and a vertically sliding door for closing an access opening. The posting board is moved to a predetermined position and a release handle is moved inwardly to cause shoot bolts to move outwardly and lock the posting board at the predetermined position. The vertically sliding door is moved downwardly to close the access opening in the filing cabinet and a locking key is rotated to move lock bolts outwardly. Movement of the lock bolts locks the release handle and moves latches into apertures in the sliding door thereby locking the sliding door in its lower or closed position.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Roy E. Kanitz Belpre, Ohio 1211 Appl. No. 27,294 [22] Filed Apr. 10, 1970 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 [73 I Assignee Sperry Rand Corporation New York, NY.

(54] LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A MECHANIZED FILING CABINET 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 312/219, 70/82, 292/96, 312/281 [51] Int. Cl. ..F05b 65/46, E05b 65/44. A97b 97/00 [50] Field of Search 70/78, 82, 95. 1 18; 292/159, 33, 40, 41, 129, 96; 312/1075, 2l6,217.2l9,287

{561 Relerences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 962,377 6/1910 Murphy 70/82 Primary Examiner-Ian A Calvert Assistant Examiner- Edward J. McCarthy Au0meys--Marshall M. Truex, Frank A. Seemar and Gllffil'l,

Branigan and Kindness ABSTRACT: A locking mechanism for use in a mechanized filing cabinet having a position adjustable posting board and a vertically sliding door for closing an access opening. The posting board is moved to a predetermined position and a release handle is moved inwardly to cause shoot bolts to move outwardly and lock the posting board at the predetermined position. The vertically sliding door is moved downwardly to close the access opening in the filing cabinet and a locking key is rotated to move lock bolts outwardly. Movement of the lock bolts locks the release handle and moves latches into aperlower or closed position.

' PATENTED MIEIOIQII SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG 2 ROY E. KANITZ ATTORNEYS LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A MECHANIZEI) FILING CABINET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to filing cabinets and more particularly to mechanized filing cabinets wherein a plurality of trays are moved through an orbit of travel by a motor. This movement allows access to the trays via an access opening located in the front of the cabinet. Preferably, the orbit of travel is in a vertical plane and the trays may be moved in either direction, depending upon the location of a particular tray when it is decided to move it to the access opening. A filing cabinet of the type to which this invention is related also has a posting board that projects outwardly beneath the access opening. The posting board is movable upwardly and downwardly so that the operator of the filing cabinet can either sit or stand, as desired. In addition, the filing cabinet has a vertically sliding door adapted to move downwardly to close the access opening.

One disadvantage of prior art mechanized filing cabinets of the foregoing nature is the difficulty of locking the cabinet to prevent unauthorized access to the files contained inthe cabinet. More specifically, prior art mechanisms do not lock both the posting board and the sliding door in such a manner that unauthorized persons cannot have access to the files. In addition, many mechanized filing cabinets do not lock cover panels in such a manner that they cannot be removed and allow access to the files.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a lock mechanism suitable for use in a mechanized filing cabinet.

It is another object of this invention to provide a lock mechanism suitable for use in a mechanized filing cabinet that locks the openable and removable components of the filing cabinet with a single key.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a lock mechanism suitable for use in a mechanized filing cabinet having a posting board and a sliding door assembly that utilizes an uncomplicated mechanism to lock both the sliding door and the posting board at a determined position with a single key.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with principles of this invention, a lock mechanism suitable for use in a mechanized filing cabinet is provided. The lock mechanism comprises a shoot bolt assembly operated by a release handle attached to the posting board. The shoot bolt assembly is adapted to hold the posting board in either a sitting or a standing position. The lock mechanism further comprises a lock bolt assembly adapted to lock the release handle in a fixed position so that the release handle is unable to operate the shoot bolt assembly. The lock bolt assembly also operates latches having fingers that fit into latch slots in the sliding door, when the sliding door is closed. The lock bolt assembly is operated by a removable key.

In accordance with further principles of this invention, the posting board is moved to a predetermined position and the release handle is operated to move the shoot bolts into apertures. In addition to locking the posting board into position, this action also locks the lower front removable panel of the cabinet into position because the shoot bolts rest on portions of the front panel so as to prevent movement of that panel.

In accordance with another principle of this invention, the lock bolt assembly includes elements that fit into notches attached to a removable panel attached beneath the posting board so as to also prevent the movement of that removable panel.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing brief summary of the invention that a lock mechanism suitable for use in a mechanized filing cabinet be provided. Use of the invention is uncomplicated because a single key locks the entire assembly. Moreover, not only are the posting board and the sliding door locked, but the front enclosure panel and the posting board panels are also locked in place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the samebecomes better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view ofa mechanized filing cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a latch suitable for use in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2; and,

FIG. 4 is a front view of the latch illustrated in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates a mechanized filing cabinet 11 having an access opening 13 behind which a plurality of file trays 15 are located. The trays are moved through a vertical orbit of travel by a motor (not shown). An operator l7, sitting in front of the access opening on a conventional secretarial chair 19, is also illustrated in FIG. 1. Located in front of the operator at approximately waist level is a posting board 21. Located on the upper surface of the posting board, but not shown in FIG. I, are a plurality of pushbutton switches which control the movement of the trays 15 to the access opening 13. That is, when a particular pushbutton is pressed, the motor is energized and causes the movement of a particular tray 15 to the access opening 13. Located at the top of the access opening 13 is a sliding door 23. When a handle 25, attached to the sliding door, is pulled downwardly, the door slides down until it meets the posting board 21, thereby closingthe access opening 13.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, which provides a means for locking the door 23 and the posting board 21 in fixed positions whereby the access opening 13 is closed, is illustrated in FIG. 2. For ease of illustration and understanding, only a small portion of the front lower panel of the mechanized filing cabinet, the sliding door and the posting board panel have been shown in FIG. 2. In addition, the posting board, trays and other parts of the filing cabinet are not shown. Hence, only the mechanism related to the invention is illustrated in perspective form in FIG. 2. Moreover, only the right side of some portions of the locking mechanism is shown. However, it is to be understood that similar parts are located on the left side.

In general FIG. 2 illustrates a shoot bolt assembly 41 and a lock bolt assembly 43. The shoot bolt assembly 41 comprises right and left outwardly extending shoot bolts 45 and 47. As viewed in FIG. 2, the right shoot bolt 45 has a downwardly projecting end 49 that projects into a first aperture located in one corner ofa generally rectangular plate 51. The left shoot bolt 47 is bent slightly rearwardly and also has a downwardly projecting end 53. The downwardly projecting end 53 of the left shoot bolt 47 projects into a second aperture located in a diagonal corner of the plate 51 from the first aperture. Springs 55 and 57 are separately attached from apertures in the remaining corners of the plate 51 to apertures in a pair of fixed plates 59 and 61. The fixed plates 59 and 61 are, as illustrated in FIG. 2, firmly attached to a posting board panel 62 extending downwardly from the posting board to cover the herein described mechanism.

A first collar 63 is fixedly attached to the center of the upper side of the rectangular plate 51. An upwardly projecting vertical shaft 65 is fixedly attached to the first collar 63. Hence, as the shaft 65 rotates, the first collar and the rectangular plate rotate. A second collar 67 is fixedly attached to the vertical shaft near the upper end of the vertical shaft 65. Preferably, the vertical shaft is held in suitable supports (not shown) which allow it to rotate. Extending outwardly from the second collar 67 is a connecting rod 69. The connecting rod has an upwardly projecting section 71 which passes through an aperture in a slidable block 73. The slidable block 73 is located in a rectangular aperture 75 formed in a release plate 77, forming a part of a release handle assembly 78. The release handle assembly 78 also includes a handle 79 attached to the outer edge of the release plate 77. A stop bar 81, attached to lower side of the posting board, coacts with front and rear stop pins 83 and 85 which project upwardly from the upper surface of the release plate 77 to limit the travel of the release handle assembly.

In operation, the release handle assembly 78 moves in wardly and outwardly. This movement causes the slidable block 73 to move to the right and to the left in the rectangular aperture 75. Movement of the slidable block 73 causes the second collar 67 to rotate the vertical shaft 65. Rotation of the vertical shaft 65 rotates the plate 51 and moves the right and left shoot bolt 45 and 47 inwardly and outwardly; Inward movement of the shoot bolts against the springs 55 and 57 allows the posting board to be moved up and down, while outward movement of the shoot bolts locks the posting board in place at sitting and standing positions. A more complete description of the posting board positioning mechanism is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,343 issued Nov. 25, 1969 to Roy E. Kanitz for Automatic Two position Posting mechanism."

Also illustrated in FIG. 2 are upper and lower right-angle support members 87 and 89 for the right side of the mechanism. Similar members are located on the left side, but for clarity are not illustrated in FIG. 2. The upper and lower right-angle support members 87 and 89 are vertically mounted so that one outer face is against a structural element located in the mechanized filing cabinet, such as a corner post, for example. The other outer face faces toward the posting board and sliding door.

The lower right-angle support member 89 has a sitting position locating hole 91 and a standing position locating hole 93 through which the right shoot bolt 45 projects. The sitting position locating hole 91 has a shoot bolt stop plate 95 located on the back" side of the hole to stop the inward projection of the right shoot bolt 45. The standing position locating hole 93 is aligned above a stop angle 97 attached to an arm 99 that projects inwardly from a lower front removable panel 101. The lower front removable panel is located beneath the posting board and encloses the lower front of the mechanized filing cabinet 11 illustrated in FIG. 1. The lower front removable panel 101 is held in place by shouldered studs 103 that are attached to the rear surface of the lower right-angle support member 89. The shouldered studs 103 fit into key-shaped holes 105 located in a flange at the rear of the arm 99 which is attached to the lower front removable panel 101.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, when the right shoot bolt 45 passes through the standing position locating hole 93, it is adjacent to the upper surface of the stop angle 97. This adjacent relationship prevents the removal of the lower front removable panel 101. When the right shoot bolt is in the sitting position, however, the lower front removable panel 101 is removable. It is to be understood that the left shoot bolt operates in the same manner.

The lock bolt assembly 43 includes a right lock arm 17 and a left lock arm 109. Projecting outwardly from the outer ends of the right and left lock arms 107 and 109 are lock bolts 111, only the right one of which is illustrated in FIG. 2. The lock bolts pass through aligned holes 113 in the upper right-angle support members 89 and impinge on latch assemblies 115, best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Vertical alignment is maintained between the lock bolts 111 and the shoot bolts 45 and 47 by guide plates 116. Z-shaped lock angles 117 are attached to the lower surface of lock arms 107 and 109 and lit into lock notches formed in plates 119 attached to the rear surface of the removable panel 62 attached beneath the posting board.

A first L-shaped member 121 projects downwardly from the right lock arm 107 and a second L-shaped member 123 projects downwardly from the left lock arm 109. The first and second L-shaped members 121 and 123 are coupled together by a lock bolt return spring 125 and alignment of the first L- shaped member is provided by a fixed plate 126. Located between the right and left lock arms 107 and 109 is a cam 127. The cam 127 is operated by a key operated lock mechanism 129. When the key 131 of the key operated lock mechanism is rotated, the cam rotates and moves the right and left lock arms 107 and 109 outwardly. This action moves the lock bolts outwardly so that they impinge on the latch assemblies 115. In addition, this movement causes the right L-shaped member 121 to move into a notch 133 formed in the release plate 77 forming a part of the release'handle assembly 78. Moreover, this movement causes the Z-shaped lock angles 117 to move into the notches in the plates 119 attached to the removable panel 62 located beneath the posting board.

At this point, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and others that the lock bolt assembly 43 locks the release handle assembly 78, the front removable panel 101 and the posting board removable panel 62. That is, as the cam 127 is rotated, and the lock arms 107 and 109 move outwardly, the first L-shaped member 121 moves into the notch 133 in the release handle assembly 78 and locks the release handle assembly in place. This operation prevents the shaft 65 from being rotated when pressure is applied to the handle 79. Because the shaft 65 cannot be rotated, the shoot bolts 45 cannot be moved inwardly and, hence, the posting board is locked in place. If the posting board is in its standing position, the shoot bolts are above the stop angles, hence, the stop angles lock the front removable panel 101 in place. In addition, the Z-shaped lock angles lock the posting board removable panel in place. A will be hereinafter described, this action of the cam 127 also locks the sliding door in its closed position if the door is closed when the cam is rotated or if the sliding door is closed after the cam is rotated.

The latch assembly is best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 and comprises a lower plate 141 having a flange 143 located in back of an aperture 113 formed in the upper right angle support member 87 in line with the lock bolt 111. The other end of the lower plate 141 has an aperture through which a bolt 145 passes. The bolt 145 also passes through an upper plate 147. The upper plate includes a finger 149 that passes through an aperture 151 in the side of the upper right-angle support member 87 facing the access opening. The support aperture 151 is aligned with a latching slot 153 formed in the edge of the sliding door when the sliding door is closed. The lower plate 141 also attached to the upper plate 147 by a pin 155 so that as the lower plate 141 rotates about the bolt 45, due to the lock bolt lll impinging on the flange 143, the upper plate 147 is also rotated about the bolt. This rotation causes the finger 149 to move into the slots 151 and 153, and lock the sliding door closed. A spring 157 fits over aligned fingers formed in the upper edge of the lower plate and in the lower edge of the upper plate. The spring 157 allows the sliding door 23 to be closed after the cam 127 has been rotated. That is, when the leading edge of the sliding door 23 intersects the projecting fingers after the cam 127 has been rotated, it will cam the upper plate 147 inwardly about the bolt 145 thus compressing the spring 157. Upon alignment of slots 151 and 153 with the finger 149, the compressed spring 157 expands and forces the finger into the latching slot 153 in the sliding door 23. In addition. a return spring 159 is attached from a finger 161 formed in the lower corner of the lower plate 141 to the inner side of the upper right-angle support member. An attachment bracket I63, attached to the inner side of the upper right angle support member 87, has an aperture through which the bolt I45 passes. Hence, the bolt's position is fixed and the upper and lower plates rotate about it.

It will be appreciated from the previous description that as the lock bolts 111 are moved outwardly due to the operation of the cam 127, the finger 149 is moved inwardly to lock the sliding door assembly in place. As previously illustrated, the entire assembly is then locked because this action of the latch assembly only occurs when the posting board is in its standing position.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that an uncomplicated apparatus for locking the posting board and the sliding door of a mechanized filing cabinet is provided. A single key operates the entire mechanism so as to prevent unauthorized access to the cabinet. ln addition, the locking mechanism also locks the front cover panel of the overall filing cabinet as well as the front panel located beneath the posting board assembly so that they cannot be removed.

While the foregoing description as described is a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes can be made within the scope thereof. Hence, the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

The embodiments of the invention in which I claim an exclusive property or privilege are defined as follows:

1. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet having a sliding door for closing an access opening located above a position adjustable posting board that includes a position adjusting mechanism, said locking mechanism comprismg:

a key-operated locking means for locking said mechanized filing cabinet; a lock bolt assembly including means for locking said position adjustable posting board in a fixed position when the 1 said key-operated locking means is operated; and

a latching assembly including a finger mounted so as to project said finger into an aperture in said sliding door when said lock bolt assembly is operated by said key-operated locking means and said sliding door closes said access opening.

2. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim I wherein said key-operated locking means includes a cam that is rotated when said key-operated locking means is operated.

3. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 2 wherein said lock bolt assembly includes arms that are outwardly movable when said cam is rotated.

4. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said position adjusting mechanism of said position adjustable posting board includes a handle having a notch and wherein said lock bolt assembly includes an element mounted so as to fit into said notch to prevent movement of said position adjustable mechanism when said cam of said key-operated locking means is rotated.

5. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said filing cabinet has a removable front panel including stop angles mounted so as to prevent upward movement of said removable front panel when said position adjustable mechanism of said adjustable posting board is in a predetermined position.

6. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 5 wherein said filing cabinet includes a posting board cover mounted beneath the posting board. said locking mechanism further including notched plates attached to said posting board cover and Z-shaped elements attached to the arms of said lock bolt assembly so as to fit into said notched plates when said cam is rotated.

7. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said latching assembly includes:

a lower plate having a flange adapted for impingement on the outer end of said arms of said lock bolt assembly;

a support element about which said lower plate is rotatable;

and,

an upper plate including said finger, said upper plate being attached to said lower plate so that said upper plate is rotatable about said support element when said lower plate is rotated.

8. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lock bolt assembly includes arms that are outwardly movable when said key-operated locking means is operated.

9. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 8 wherein said latching assemblyjncludes:

a lower plate having a flange adapted for impingement on the outer end of said arms of said lock bolt assembly;

a support element about which said lower plate is rotatable;

and,

an upper plate including said finger, said upper plate being attached to said lower plate so that said upper plate is rotatable about said support element when said lower plate is rotated.

10. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 9 wherein said key-operated locking means includes a cam that is rotated when said key-operated locking means is operated to move said arms outwardly. 

1. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet having a sliding door for closing an access opening located above a position adjustable posting board that includes a position adjusting mechanism, said locking mechanism comprising: a key-operated locking means for locking said mechanized filing cabinet; a lock bolt assembly including means for locking said position adjustable posting board in a fixed position when the said keyoperated locking means is operated; and a latching assembly including a finger mounted so as to project said finger into an aperture in said sliding door when said lock bolt assembly is operated by said key-operated locking means and said sliding door closes said access opening.
 2. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said key-operated locking means includes a cam that is rotated when said key-operated locking means is operated.
 3. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 2 wherein said lock bolt assembly includes arms that are outwardly movable when said cam is Rotated.
 4. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said position adjusting mechanism of said position adjustable posting board includes a handle having a notch and wherein said lock bolt assembly includes an element mounted so as to fit into said notch to prevent movement of said position adjustable mechanism when said cam of said key-operated locking means is rotated.
 5. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said filing cabinet has a removable front panel including stop angles mounted so as to prevent upward movement of said removable front panel when said position adjustable mechanism of said adjustable posting board is in a predetermined position.
 6. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 5 wherein said filing cabinet includes a posting board cover mounted beneath the posting board, said locking mechanism further including notched plates attached to said posting board cover and Z-shaped elements attached to the arms of said lock bolt assembly so as to fit into said notched plates when said cam is rotated.
 7. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said latching assembly includes: a lower plate having a flange adapted for impingement on the outer end of said arms of said lock bolt assembly; a support element about which said lower plate is rotatable; and, an upper plate including said finger, said upper plate being attached to said lower plate so that said upper plate is rotatable about said support element when said lower plate is rotated.
 8. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lock bolt assembly includes arms that are outwardly movable when said key-operated locking means is operated.
 9. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 8 wherein said latching assembly includes: a lower plate having a flange adapted for impingement on the outer end of said arms of said lock bolt assembly; a support element about which said lower plate is rotatable; and, an upper plate including said finger, said upper plate being attached to said lower plate so that said upper plate is rotatable about said support element when said lower plate is rotated.
 10. A locking mechanism for a mechanized filing cabinet as claimed in claim 9 wherein said key-operated locking means includes a cam that is rotated when said key-operated locking means is operated to move said arms outwardly. 